Security Certification Overview

Of the 20 vendor-neutral credentials covered in this article by Ed Tittel, the most popular include the CISSP, the SANS GIAC, and the CPP security certifications. With such high demand for qualified security professionals in today's workplace, these credentials are a good value and a great educational investment in your career.

Security Certification Overview

No matter what kind of systems or networks operate within an organization,
security has to be an important concern. Internet access is ubiquitous, so protecting
the system and network is no longer an exotic specialty. Today, managing security
is absolutely necessary for organizations of aall sizes.

This helps explain why so many IT certifications are available. There are so
many of them, in fact, that we cover only some of the most significant ones
in depth here, after surveying the overall certification landscape. Such a survey,
in fact, reveals that more than 20 vendor-neutral security certifications are
available from numerous organizations, vendors, and associations. Not surprisingly,
you can double that number to estimate the total number of vendor-specific security-related
certifications currently available.

To me, this speaks of an emerging market, where pioneers and entrepreneurs
feel free to strike out in whatever directions make sense to them. This market
will no doubt consolidate and concentrate on a handful of "important"
security certifications over the next two to three years, as the job of security
professional becomes more well-recognized and the value of security certifications
gets better established. In the meantime, the security certification is a bit
of a free-for-all, which we will analyze here.

Surveying Security Certifications

To begin, let's review all the vendor-neutral, security-related certification
programs—and the various acronyms used to name them—that we've
been able to uncover. Although we can't claim that this survey is complete
or exhaustive, it represents as many vendor-neutral security certifications
as a detailed Internet search could uncover (if you know of others that we failed
to mention, please email pointers to etittel@lanw.com).

For lack of a more structured organization, these credentials are presented
in alphabetical order. For each one, we provide a brief overview, plus pointers
to additional information online. Later in this series of articles on security
certification, we provide more details on some of the more important (or
potentially important) programs introduced here. Note also that if a listing
starts with an acronym, that acronym is formally associated with the program
already; if it ends with an acronym, we use it here as a convenience as a
reference in Table 1. Otherwise, you will not likely encounter that string in
common use.

CCO—Certified Confidentiality Officer. This credential identifies
individuals who possess management-level expertise in information security,
individuals who can direct security implementations and deployments, and
security professionals who perform such tasks. (Source: Business Espionage
Controls Countermeasures Association [BECCA]) For more information, see
www.BECCA-online.org.

CCSA—Certification in Control Self-Assessment. This credential
identifies individuals with knowledge of internal control and related security
self-assessment procedures. (Source: Institute of Internal Auditors) For
more information, see http://www.theiia.org/ecm/certification.cfm?doc_id=12.

Certified Network Security Associate (CNSA). This program is an
entry-level credential designed as a "stepping-stones to GIAC and CISSP"
training and cert programs. It aims to certify general IT security knowledge
and ability. This certification also serves as the first rung on a well-defined
ladder of CCTI certifications. (Source: Colorado Computer Training Institute
[CCTI]) For more information, see www.ccti.com/certifications/security/securityoverview.asp.

Certified Network Security Professional (CNSP). This credential
identifies individuals who have moved from security fundamentals to coverage
of advanced, complex security topics and technologies. It is the middle
(technical) rung in the CCTI security certification ladder. (Source: Colorado
Computer Training Institute [CCTI]) For more information, see www.ccti.com/certifications/security/securityoverview.asp.

CFE—Certified Fraud Examiner. This credential identifies individuals
who are able to detect financial fraud and other security-related white-collar
crimes. (Source: Association of Certified Fraud Examiners) For more information,
see www.cfenet.com/.

CIA—Certified Internal Auditor. This credential identifies
individuals with working knowledge of professional financial auditing practices,
including related security practices, procedures, and auditing techniques.
(Source: Institute of Internal Auditors) For more information, see http://www.theiia.org/ecm/certification.cfm?doc_id=12.

CISA—Certified Information Systems Auditor. This credential
identifies individuals who can perform IS audits for control and security
purposes. (Source: Information Systems Audit and Control Association) For
more information, see www.isaca.org/cert1.htm.

Certified Internet Webmaster–Security Professional Exam (CIW-SP).
Passing this exam demonstrates a working knowledge of Web- and e-commerce–related
security principles and practices. (Source: Prosoft Training, Inc.) For
more information, see www.ciwcertified.com/exams/1d0470.asp.

CPP—Certified Protection Professional. This credential identifies
individuals with a thorough understanding of physical, human, and information
security principles and practices. (Source: American Society for Industrial
Security [ASIS]) For more information, see www.asisonline.org/cpp.html.

GIAC—Global Information Assurance Certification. This credential
identifies individuals who possess a thorough knowledge of and the ability
to manage and protect important information systems and networks. (Source:
The System Administration, Networking, and Security [SANS] Institute) For
more information, see www.sans.org/giactc.htm.

ICSA—ICSA Certified Security Associate. This credential, to
be released in Q3, 2001, identifies individuals who possess basic familiarity
with vendor-neutral system and network security principles, practices, and
technologies. (Source: TruSecure Corporation) For more information, see
www.trusecure.com/html/secsol/peoplecert01.shtml.

ICSE—ICSA Certified Security Engineer. This credential, expected
to be released in Q4, 2001, identifies individuals who possess a deep and
serious knowledge of vendor-neutral system and network security principles,
practices, and technologies. ICSA is a prerequisite. (Source: TruSecure
Corporation) For more information, see www.trusecure.com/html/secsol/practitioner.shtml.

SSCP—Systems Security Certified Professional Administrator.
This is an entry-level certification that identifies individuals who can
implement and maintain system and network security, but not necessarily
someone who can be made responsible for designing and deploying security
policies and procedures. (Source: [ICS]2]) For more information,
see https://www.isc2.org/cgi-bin/request_studyguide.cgi.

System and Network Security Certified Professional (SNSCP). This
credential identifies individuals who can design and implement organizational
security strategies and secure the network perimeter and component systems.
(Source: Learning Tree International) For more information, see www.learningtree.com.